A closer look at what Jaydon Blue is and isn't

SteveTheCowboy said:
Really doesn't matter to me what the pre-NFL situation is. I think QBs can be WAY over-rated and ready to dud.

From there it goes south fast. Defense seems to be next in line.

I think RB's are one of the less likely positions to bust out....but they are also the most likely to surprise people. Ya''ll remember what they said about Emmitt. And I grant you he might not have had THAT much success on say....Bengals. ha ha? :)


So...hard to say what Blue is. I am SURE I couldn't design offense around him, with this team now. Like I KNOW I could with Emmitt when he had his team. (okay fine....be skeptical!)

There are too many variables right now. Hoping we can fix the scheme and have someone to execute it. So many variable. I'm just gonna let it play out rather than bet on told ya sos.
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We aren’t designing a offende around a RB with our WR’s. But if you was with blue you run at the edges, get him the ball in space on dump offs and get him involved in passing game. He didn’t get a lot of carries in college but that was a choice of the coaches and doesn’t mean he couldn’t handle more. I think we will use 2-3 backs early on. Let things shake out early. I like seeing him used as a reciever some. He runs really good routes for a RB. In fact he looks like WR with his route running. It think he can be used in various ways but I don’t see us using any of our RB 25 runs a game anyway
 
Bobhaze said:
The Cowboys 5th round draft pick RB Jaydon Blue is an intriguing player with lots of speed and elusiveness. That is certainly a skill missing from this team’s RBs since maybe Zeke’s rookie year. In 2016.

While Blue has blazing 4.25 speed and adds a welcome big play threat to this offense, he’s not particularly big nor has ever been “the guy” in terms of carries and touches while playing 3 seasons at the University of Texas.

Let’s look at what Jaydon Blue’s stats were as a RB as a Texas Longhorn over his 3 seasons there:
  • 2022 season (Freshman season- played in 9 games)
    • Rushing: 15 carries for 33 yards, 2.2 yds per carry, 0 TDs
    • Receiving: 0 receptions
    • Total touches/yards- 15/33 yards, 0TDs
    • Avg 1.6 touches per game
  • 2023 season (Soph season, played in 14 games)
    • Rushing: 65 carries for 398 yards, 6.1 yds pc., 3 TDs
    • Receiving: 14 receptions for 135 yds, 9.6 yds pc., 4 TDs
    • Total touches/yards: 79/533, 6.7 yds per play, 7 TDs
    • Avg. 5.6 touches per game, avg 38 yards per game.
  • 2024 season (Junior and final season at UT, played in 15 games)
    • Rushing: 134 carries for 730 yards, 5.4 yds pc, 8 TDs
    • Receiving: 42 receptions for 368 yds, 8.8 yds pc, 6 TDs
    • Total touches/yards: 176/1,098 yards, 6.2 yds per play, 14 TDs
    • Avg. 11.7 touches per game, avg 73.2 yards per game
  • TOTALS OVER 3 SEASONS:
    • Rushing: 214 carries for 1,161 yards, 5.4 ypc, 11 TDs
    • Receiving: 56 receptions for 503 yds, 9.0 per reception, 10 TDs
    • Total touches/yards: 270 touches, 1,664 yds, 6.2 avg per play.
    • Total touches avg for 3 yrs: 38 games, 7.1 touches per game, 44 yds per game.
So over his three seasons at Texas, Blue averaged 7.1 touches per game for 44 yds per game. A better, more accurate look at what he can be is better captured in his numbers last year where he averaged about 12 touches a game for 73 yards per game.

CONCLUSIONS
  • Jaydon Blue is fast, versatile and averaged about 6 yards per play in college. That’s very good, but not a particularly big workload.
  • Blue is clearly not an every down back and will probably be a 8-12 touches a game at most as a rookie.
  • If Jaydon Blue receives the largest share of carries for the Cowboys, it will be the FIRST time since he was a high school RB. He never led the longhorns in rushing yards or carries.
  • I think Blue will make some big plays but I don’t expect to see him be more than part of a committee. Still glad he’s a Cowboy.
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You really can’t make too many judgements on players coming out of college. Different coaches, different systems and a 90 man roster. I’ve watched Blue since his freshman year. Every time he was put in the game he was effective. Last year he had more carries and receptions because the #1 starter had injury issues.
 
Rockport said:
You really can’t make too many judgements on players coming out of college. Different coaches, different systems and a 90 man roster. I’ve watched Blue since his freshman year. Every time he was put in the game he was effective. Last year he had more carries and receptions because the #1 starter had injury issues.
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That’s true Rock, but in his last year at Texas; the one where he was used most, he still only had 11.7 touches per game.

Blue was the team’s second leading rusher and had nearly 100 less rushing attempts than the leader, Quintrevion Wisner.

I’m not knocking Jaydon Blue at all. I think he will be a really nice weapon for us in the running and passing game. His speed will definitely get defenses to pay a little more attention to our backfield.

But I also think some fans are building him up as a bell cow, 3 down back, which he has never been - even in college.
 
Bobhaze said:
That’s true Rock, but in his last year at Texas; the one where he was used most, he still only had 11.7 touches per game.

Blue was the team’s second leading rusher and had nearly 100 less rushing attempts than the leader, Quintrevion Wisner.

I’m not knocking Jaydon Blue at all. I think he will be a really nice weapon for us in the running and passing game. His speed will definitely get defenses to pay a little more attention to our backfield.

But I also think some fans are building him up as a bell cow, 3 down back, which he has never been - even in college.
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Texas played a RB by committee. They rotated in 2 sometimes 3 backs. I don’t know if he’s going to be good or not at the NFL level but we’ll soon find out.
 
BlindFaith said:
Average? Name a team with a worse starting group?
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Rookies don't play like rookies forever. There is usually a sizable improvement in the 2nd seasons.

The longer that O-linemen play together, the more cohesive and effective they become.

When you have three starting offensive linemen, all 24 or younger, all 1st round draft picks, the trajectory is up, not down.

To Hades with last season!
 
CT Dal Fan said:
I just wonder if Blue's lack of playing time at Texas had more to do with how deep they were at the position and not any knock on his abilities. I think he can be a weapon similar to what DeVon Achane is for the Dolphins- not an every down option, but a big play threat in a rotation.

Excellent post as always Bob!
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If he can equal Archane I'm happy
 
CT Dal Fan said:
Saying Blue is similar in speed to 2016 Zeke is not a slight. Recall how explosive Zeke was when he got here. Scored on 60 yard runs and 80 yard screen passes his rookie year. Prime Zeke was the most complete back in the NFL, not the broken down guy of the past few years.
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Zeke had a lot of NCAA rushes.

It adds up quick.
 
Bobhaze said:
The Cowboys 5th round draft pick RB Jaydon Blue is an intriguing player with lots of speed and elusiveness. That is certainly a skill missing from this team’s RBs since maybe Zeke’s rookie year. In 2016.

While Blue has blazing 4.25 speed and adds a welcome big play threat to this offense, he’s not particularly big nor has ever been “the guy” in terms of carries and touches while playing 3 seasons at the University of Texas.

Let’s look at what Jaydon Blue’s stats were as a RB as a Texas Longhorn over his 3 seasons there:
  • 2022 season (Freshman season- played in 9 games)
    • Rushing: 15 carries for 33 yards, 2.2 yds per carry, 0 TDs
    • Receiving: 0 receptions
    • Total touches/yards- 15/33 yards, 0TDs
    • Avg 1.6 touches per game
  • 2023 season (Soph season, played in 14 games)
    • Rushing: 65 carries for 398 yards, 6.1 yds pc., 3 TDs
    • Receiving: 14 receptions for 135 yds, 9.6 yds pc., 4 TDs
    • Total touches/yards: 79/533, 6.7 yds per play, 7 TDs
    • Avg. 5.6 touches per game, avg 38 yards per game.
  • 2024 season (Junior and final season at UT, played in 15 games)
    • Rushing: 134 carries for 730 yards, 5.4 yds pc, 8 TDs
    • Receiving: 42 receptions for 368 yds, 8.8 yds pc, 6 TDs
    • Total touches/yards: 176/1,098 yards, 6.2 yds per play, 14 TDs
    • Avg. 11.7 touches per game, avg 73.2 yards per game
  • TOTALS OVER 3 SEASONS:
    • Rushing: 214 carries for 1,161 yards, 5.4 ypc, 11 TDs
    • Receiving: 56 receptions for 503 yds, 9.0 per reception, 10 TDs
    • Total touches/yards: 270 touches, 1,664 yds, 6.2 avg per play.
    • Total touches avg for 3 yrs: 38 games, 7.1 touches per game, 44 yds per game.
So over his three seasons at Texas, Blue averaged 7.1 touches per game for 44 yds per game. A better, more accurate look at what he can be is better captured in his numbers last year where he averaged about 12 touches a game for 73 yards per game.

CONCLUSIONS
  • Jaydon Blue is fast, versatile and averaged about 6 yards per play in college. That’s very good, but not a particularly big workload.
  • Blue is clearly not an every down back and will probably be a 8-12 touches a game at most as a rookie.
  • If Jaydon Blue receives the largest share of carries for the Cowboys, it will be the FIRST time since he was a high school RB. He never led the longhorns in rushing yards or carries.
  • I think Blue will make some big plays but I don’t expect to see him be more than part of a committee. Still glad he’s a Cowboy.
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If he gets you 72 - 73 yards a game in a committee you hit on the pick. He'll have better games than that though.

Y'all just wait till Blue puts on 10 lbs of muscle..

He's gonna get 7-12 carries per game and you all will like it.
 
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BlindFaith said:
I guess its this logic that prompts the fan base to make insane projections, like us making the playoffs.

No way is Blue the lead back, at all this season. I really hope our lead back is still on another teams roster.
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My comments are as much an indictment of the other backs as they are praise for Blue. Given the RB group as it stands now, Blue will lead them all in yardage.

And no, I do not predict a playoff appearance.
 
Like it or not, he's your #2 RB by, say, game 6. He'll get his touches as a WR too.

Shoot, he may end up just winning a WR job. He's that good as a receiver.
 
plasticman said:
Rookies don't play like rookies forever. There is usually a sizable improvement in the 2nd seasons.

The longer that O-linemen play together, the more cohesive and effective they become.

When you have three starting offensive linemen, all 24 or younger, all 1st round draft picks, the trajectory is up, not down.

To Hades with last season!
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So next year we might have a RB? This year, not so much.
 
TwistedL0g1k said:
My comments are as much an indictment of the other backs as they are praise for Blue. Given the RB group as it stands now, Blue will lead them all in yardage.

And no, I do not predict a playoff appearance.
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Fair enough. Might as well play Milton then too.
 
BlindFaith said:
Jesus. All Im doing is putting some perspective on things.

No, he will NOT see 12 snaps a game. He'll be well off just making the roster.

Honestly, Mafa with his size could be a better bet. Need to see if hes quick enough for the NFL though.

Point is, counting on either is hope and a prayer. Thomas and Sanders are what we really have. And they aint much.

For a team wanting to focus on the run, they did a piss poor job focusing on the running back.
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Thomas? You mean we have Sanders, Williams, Luepke, and Blue. I think those are all active game 1.

I see you also think RB is very important to the run, whereas I'd say it's somewhat important but the line is more important.

You can see that by seeing what Saquan did in NY vs Philthy.
 
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